This is one of the best shots I’ve seen so far: black and white shot; modern vs. traditional; trendy vs. conservative; hope vs. resignation–this says so much. My hats off to you, here, Mr. Sartorial.http://mensnatural.co

I’m not sure we can “understand their reality better than they do”. Maybe this young woman just elbowed the older lady out of the way because she thought she would be slow getting across the road, and the older lady is reacting in distress and frustration.

i think people will look at this in 100 years and then capture a sense of the place and time, the variety of worlds, lifestyles, cultures, ideas that we as a society live with right now. these photographs make this blog much more than a fashion/style blog.

As a tall east african woman, with a peculiar style I recognize myself in this image. A lot of my non-ethnic friends have said they notice the glares and the looks when I walk in, but the fact that Scott recognized apart of this this young woman’s daily life is still reassuring.

This is a really interesting photo. My very first response is to judge the older woman. However, I’m sure there are moments that I look like her when I meet with things that are foreign or new to me. I wonder what she is thinking.

This is a perfect example when Scott’s photographs go beyond fashion commentary. I live in Southern Cali and am witness to the debacle that is Donald Sterling, so this photograph has a bit of poignancy – the generation gap… I wonder if it decreases with time or does each aging generation find itself surprisingly out of touch?

Or maybe the older woman is just amazed the young woman’s focus isn’t actually on her cell phone!

I pause at the young woman’s remarkable beauty, posture and style. I pause at the older women’s unnerved look: What a contrast.
This is, bar none, one the most rich and revealing photographs I have seen in a very long time. It does what art is supposed to do: move us, unsettle us, make us notice….

Are you sure the older woman is looking at her? It appears she is looking at something past her. This is all under the assumption that your perception was that the older woman was looking at her that way.

Thank you for the clarification. I, too, would love to see the sequence. I imagine it might be a kin to something from an old LIFE magazine depicting racism or just plain shock at such differences. I am wondering if the older woman might be in a state of hair envy!

thanks for asking that (and answering, Scott) cos I’ve been wondering the same thing. whilst the older lady’s expression is captivating, I’m distracted as I try to figure out if the focus of her attention is indeed the younger lady or if it’s something else outside of the frame. for what it’s worth, I’d love to see the sequential shots :-)

Yes, a sequence would be great! Personally I would not call the older Milanese woman racist – she is merely saying: “ma guarda che roba esotica… Quei capelli son veri o Ã¨ una parrucca…?”
Translation – whoa that’s exotic… Are they real or is it a hairpiece?

I am African-American and have met many Afro peoples around the world. I can tell you Afro-Europeans are very naive. You all want so badly to be like the European majority you tolerate a lot of racism. Most of the time you don’t even know it’s happening. I have said so many times around Afro-Germans and French wtf!? You just took that! Stand up for yourself or I have had to explain very basic racial things from history that they don’t even know. You all have been brain washed and need to open your eyes more. Just because a White person tells you to get over it, it’s not racist dose not mean you have to believe them.

Hmm, As a Black woman who have lived in numerous countries and continents including Europe and the U.S. I feel that my perspective may help you understand your fellow Black brothers and sister around the world especially those living European.

Racism in America specifically Whites towards Blacks, tends to be more overt and prominent than anywhere else in the world with the exception of South Africa. Some historians believe this is a due to the fear Whites living in America have of becoming a minority due to the large population of Blacks brought over ironically by them during slavery. Europe on the other hand had a fewer Black people in population than America, so in general the White European population did not share the same sentiments towards Blacks that the American Whites shared throughout history (also if the have, it was not on the same degree).

We are creatures of our environment this fashion blog is a great example of that. You may perceive an action as racist where as another person may not. If you grew up in environment of overt racial practices then that would change your perception. The black person in Europe grew up in an environment with far less racial practices and if there were any it was usually converted. Therefore, what you view as racist they can not and will not understand because they weren’t raised in the same environment as you.

Side Note: As a black woman, I have never felt more at home in any city than I did Milan. I am often told in the US “you’re beautiful for a black person” “you’re so exotic, you must be mixed” etc., etc., In Milan, I felt that I was just a beautiful woman who happens to be black –that my skin color was as relevant as the color of my pupils. I have a hard time accepting that this old lady look has racial undertones (specifically because it was taken in Milan). Perhaps she was in shock of the length of her hemline, her hairstyle, her physique, her accent or lack of, her lack of a cell phone or bicycle, or by how she was or wasn’t acknowledged. If this photo was taken in the US then I may say yes, it is a look of racial disgust.

“Itâs in those moments that you can sometimes understand their reality better than they do.”

I agree that photographers offer reality from a different perspective, but to state that you might understand an individual’s reality better than said individual is a tad too presumptuous in my opinion. I don’t put into question your understanding of that particular moment in time, I think it’s beautiful that you managed to capture such candour, however, I don’t think this young lady is unaware of the attention she attracts from strangers. Hell, I don’t think this is the first person who’s stared at her (hair) this way.

And that’s coming from a girl who gets stares from the voluminous halo on her head every single day.

Incredible photograph, but I’m thinking the old woman ( who definitely makes half the greatness of this shot) is NOT looking at the young beauty, but rather at something on the other side of the street, which seems to also captivate the girl.
Definitely what I like the most about this photo are the eyes, and the contrast between the two women’s eyes. Both are extremely expressive. The old woman of course is surprise by what she’s looking at, in spite of all the things she’s been too see in her life, perhaps because the world as she thought she had it figured out has now completely changed. As for the young one, she has the appearance and body of a woman but her eyes are incredibly innocent and almost those of a child. She’s surprised too, but in a more naive way, she marvels at things she gets to discover in this same world the two women are facing. It’s beautiful really, and I couldn’t resist to write about it although my english is not perfect. Merci, Scott.

This has to be one of your best shots yet.
The striking expression on the older woman’s face doesn’t dwarf the effect of the younger woman; instead, it draws attention to her poise and interesting features. Genius!

There have been countless photographs on your blog that I’ve wanted to comment, “This is the best photo you’ve ever posted!” but I’ve been too intimidated to leave anything. This photo though…. it’s just incredible. The juxtaposition of their expressions, her hair, everything- I keep coming back to look at it. Thanks for such an inspiring post!

Is fascinating to see how opinionated we are now days , everyone knows all. “Apparently”. This pictures comes from Torino, not your everyday Afro European hang out as london or Paris. But she is there, she knows scott too. I Assume is a model or someone in the industry. That Italians can be conservative and xenophobic is well known. However is not clear to me if the old lady is watching the young one. It looks like. What’s is amazing is that most of the commenters know or are aware of discrimination without using the word as we don’t know is the issue in here. This picture represent to me the coalition of time and generations we are living right now. Scott what do you mean when you say that you understand their reality better that they do? Are you trying to tell us you know more as a photographer about the urban sociological micro moment in space of the person who has been portrait? Or that you understand how complicated is italy when it comes about race and equality?

As a viewer of this scene (not as a photographer) sometimes we see the face that the subject doesn’t see.

The older lady didn’t look at her (Lorraine) like that while she was in front of her, it wasn’t until she passed behind her that she threw such a face.

ps. The caption clearly states the image was shot on via Torino in Milan. I fear this is another example of a person that gets all worked up and makes a comment before they clearly consider what they are seeing and reading.

What is the “typical” Milan? This photo asks that question in a rather concise way. Someone who looks like she belongs stares, gropes and kneads with her gaze at another alien while that person is seemingly aloof to her scrutinizer.

Thank you! As a few other people today, it’s the first time I comment on a blog but this is so vital , it just draws you out ! Great picture, really touching and funny , your heart goes out to them yet it’s almost symbolic and above all so true to life. And since I’m commenting, I’ve been following your blog for many years now, thank you for all the inspiration and for the generosity behind it.

The beauty of art is that we all can merrily project whatever amuses us most onto this (indeed quite wonderful) photograph. But please let’s not pretend that we understand anything about the subject’s internal reality, because we don’t.

Some people just have naturally expressive faces, I don’t think the lady behind was necessarily shocked at the lady in front of her. Look at the model Lara Stone. She’s even said in interviews that she doesn’t have a naturally smiling face, some people just don’t. I’ve made that mistake before where you meet somone with a particular expression on their face (maybe a mad one or a scared one) but once you get talking to them they seem completely different.

Wonderful shoot, full of symbolical meanings. It represents the victory of nonconformism that we should see everywhere on the Italian streets. That old woman is the best expression of a typical Italian problem: it’s true, I am Italian and I know that many people of my country don’t accept who is original, however different. It’s very sad that Scott has seen this scene in Milan, that is our main city: in the provinces often happen similar or worst facts (for example, if you love to wear bright colours, you are judged as “exhibitionist” or “irritating artist”, for my life’s experience).
I love the style of this girl, expecially her elaborate hairstyle that is really royal.

I live in Rome and would say this is a pretty typical reaction all over Italy. I experience it a bit and am not from a region of the world actively discriminated against and can only imagine how tough the going is here for people from the ‘other’ areas of the world no matter how stylish or beautiful they are.

Maybe; maybe not. As you know, as photographers we capture instantly exactly what is there and what happened. However, trying to ascribe any meaning is just pure speculation. What we see is an old lady looking at a young, beautiful girl. What she might be thinking is completely unknown. You might know, because you saw the whole scenario unfold. But from this picture, we can’t say anything other than the description above.

I was hit by this very strongly once when I took a quick shot of my mom as she was looking at me in a car. In it, she has a severe, almost angry look. But in fact, we were talking, Mom looked over to say something, then turned back. I happened to shoot her as she was looking over. When I look at it now, I see the softness in her eyes that belies the severe and almost angry look on her face. But that’s because I am her son and know that she was a kind-hearted and sweet woman. Someone else will look at it and miss that and say she looks like an angry old woman. This picture is similar to me in that way.

Photographs record things literally. Completely and absolutely literally. Anything we derive from that is our own projection onto the scene. Many of the comments in here show exactly that.

To earlier commenters, I understand there is speculation that the older lady in this photograph is racist. That is incredibly presumptuous and completely without substance. You can’t read someones mind by looking at their face; you can read their emotions. The old lady in the photograph could have just digested this girls beauty, the uniqueness of her hair, or could simply be gazing across the street coincidentally at the moment of this photograph. Why do we as people always assume the worst?

I think I recognize the old lady, I happen to work as a cashier nearby. I could be wrong, obviously. But if she is who I think she is, the thought bubble in the photo MUST have been something very different than most people here, Mr Schuman included, seem to think.

Don’t be so quick to judge people! You might end up with that same ugly look on your face, and for no good reason!

This image is a work of art because it captures an interesting aspect to reality. As someone who has received these shocked stares nearly everyday, I’ve realized that bold afro hair on afro people are somewhat of an anomaly in most parts of Europe. Thank you Scott for this photo. Your blog is now no longer just style/fashion inspired pictures for the public, it’s a memoir.